Customer Reviews

Up Front and Down Low

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When last I considered Teddy Thomp'son, he was building his cult. A very elite cult, because 'Separate Ways seemed to be so special that you could say, well, a lot of people just didn't have ears good enough for it.

Except it wasn't "special." And it wasn't "too good." It was great writing and great music and a remarkable voice, start to finish, without a single dud. I don't know why only a few of my nearest and dearest flipped for it. Maybe because it was depressing, in a wonderfully funny way.

Like this line: "I wish when the phone rang/it wasn't always you."

Not exactly a universal sentiment, is it?

So let's call Teddy Thompson an acquired taste --- until the day one of his songs becomes an unlikely hit and tens of thousands rush back to fall in love with all the great music they so breezily rejected.

And what of the follow-up to "Separate Ways"?

It's no follow-up at all. "Upfront & Down Low" is country. Classic country, if you will: songs by George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, the Everly Brothers, Elvis. Thompson uses a standard backup band, but he adds a string section, courtesy of the arranger responsible for the strings on Nick Drake's CDs.

Sounds like a vanity project? Not in the least. Teddy Thompson --- who didn't hear music that wasn't country until he was 16 --- understands this music completely. And delivers it authentically. But that understates. What happens in "Upfront & Down low" is captured magic, the alchemy of great taste and a compelling voice.

I went to see Teddy Thompson preview this CD in a downtown club. It was one of those rare nights: a small room, no more than a hundred people in the audience, all of them very much on the singer's side. Two violinists, a cellist and a string bass player came onstage first, then a drummer and a slide guitarist, then Thompson. Hard to miss him --- he was wearing a white suit. "I'm from the corporate office of Willie Wonka," he explained.

Naturally he apologized for the tone of the songs: "These songs are depressing. That's what country music is about."

But the songs needed no apology. They were flawless, if not exactly fun, and the title song, which he wrote, just might be the best. That song was, of course, the most depressing. Funny. I can't get it out of my head.

I bought this after hearing it in one of Amazon's brick-and-mortar competitors. I didn't know who Teddy Thompson was when I heard it. I only knew that it sounded incredible.

I was born in 1957 on a cotton farm. My parents were sharecroppers. Hank Williams and Ray Charles were the soundtrack of my childhood.

It is amazing to me that this young Brit has released a CD that my mother would have loved (had she lived to hear it). Thompson has chosen great songs, and he has a great voice. He doesn't sound like someone trying to sound "southern"--but he sounds reasonably "southern." His voice is rich and resonant, and he does not have to resort to tricks: no melisma, no shouting, no growling. The arrangements are tasteful: everything is done well, and nothing is overdone.

I have been listening to this CD for a couple of months. It keeps getting better. I urge you to try it. If you're a fan of good country music (Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Bill Monroe), I think that you'll be impressed. If you're not already a fan of country, I think that this CD will open a door to a wonderful world.

One usually doesn't think of men as being classic torch singers, but with UP FRONT AND DOWN LOW, New York-based young Brit singer/songwritier Teddy Thompson makes a stunning claim to that style of heart-achey pop music. Backed with tasteful arrangements on classic country tunes and his one original, Thompson unleashes his clear, plaintive and often soaring tenor to astonishing effect - particularly on "Walking the Floor Over You", "My Heart Echoes", "She Thinks I Still Care", Dolly Partron's "My Blue Tears" and his own "Down Low". Thompson delivers terrific phrasing on all tracks, especially putting over the wonderfully sarcastic edge of "You Finally Said Something Good (When You Said Goodbye)", which opens with a jaunty string quartet cakewalk. That number and the witty "Let's Think About Living" are the most upbeat among the album's 12 listed and one hidden track, a sweet and mournful "Don't Ask Me to Be Friends". Listeners who enjoyed Thompson's contributions to the BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN soundtrack will be delighted to find that UP FRONT AND DOWN LOW continues his forary into classic country & western music and delivers one of 2007's best sung albums in the process. No doubt about it - Teddy Thompson is absolute torch and twang. Look out, k.d....

I guess this is technically a country album, but he brings a very folk/alt vibe to these songs. The result is just beautiful. Really, from start to finish. The emotion carried in his voice is so very moving. Just so soulful and touching.
If country isn't your "thing" I still say there is a place in any alt-rock collection for this CD. Perfect for a night of missing that certain someone. Perfect for a night of drowning your sorrows. Perfect for that long trip you didn't want to make in the first place. Ah, it's just perfect.

TEDDY THOMPSON can sing whatever he pleases - I'm all ears for his big beautiful, expressive voice! Teddy is a genuine rarity and one of the finest singers to come along in quite some time. A haunting vocalist you yearn to hear more and more of. Universally appealing singer's singer and musician's musician. His rich vocal range soars magnificently from gorgeous baritone lows to compelling tenor highs. Like that melodic lonely howl of a wolf in the moonlit darkness of night, Thompson's singing stirs, haunts your ears and soul with his well chosen material and original compositions...he leaves you yearning for more. Unforgettable. Linda & Richard blessed us with an angel to sing for us here on Earth. His music surpasses even their finest moments on wax-vinyl-plastic; etc. I've got all three official Teddy Thompson cd-albums, and I highly recommend each one. He moves effortlessly from folk to rock to country, everything in between and beyond with his soulful singing voice. Teddy Thompson deserves to be a superstar.

I heard a review of this CD on NPR and was really intrigued. I'm not a huge country music fan but this is a terrific CD. I can't even say that it's more folksy or anything. It's just good, old-fashioned country music. Not flashy or twangy. My only criticism might be that almost all of the songs are VERY mellow. The couple of upbeat ones are my favorites but all are very fine.

Richard and Linda Thompson. I first heard of Teddy Thompson on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack and have purchased all of his CD's. This one is no disappointment. As a country music fan, I love this CD so far, after just 2 listens. Teddy hits all the right notes, metaphorically speaking, and uses just the right amount of great backup vocals and musicians. I am taking a road trip this weekend and can't wait to crank up the speakers and listen to this CD several times in about 6 hours.
Great work, Teddy!

Teddy Thompson is (unexpectedly) a British crooner venturing into country music. First heard on David Letterman show, then in interview on Terry Gross's NPR radio show, this album is special. Haunting melodies, especially from the title song, will fill your days with joy. Influences from Everly Brothers are clear and welcome.

This CD contains covers of classic country music tunes that go back to the time when country music wasn't overproduced wanna-be pop within a Southern accent. The arrangements are fresh interpretations of the songs, and Thompson does a great job (for a Brit)of sounding like an authentic US country music singer. I am not a fan of modern country music (I am a blues and boggie, hard-rock kind of guy), but before I discovered Rock and Roll (via Elvis and Bill Halley and the Comets), I was a radio listener of country. So, I have some background with which to judge this "album". It is simply classic country very well executed.

This is the best (new) album I've heard in years. The arrangements are
great. It sure beats 99% of what's being released as country music-
even though this CD is in the "pop" section at the stores.

Teddy Thompson is my kind of singer-not trying to sound like anybody
else (even though there is a little, but less twangy, Dwight Yoakam
in a couple of the tracks). I hope he does some more of the older
country classics with a couple of his own songs thrown in.

I could only rate this album 5 stars, but would have rated it higher.